List of feature films with intersex characters

This is a list of films with fictional and factual intersex characters. The films were released theatrically, direct-to-video, or on a streaming platform (non-linear network).

This list does not include documentaries, which are included in the categories of LGBTQ-related films by decade, or animated intersex characters, which are noted in List of fictional intersex characters. Various live-action films feature either intersex issues as a plot element or have intersex characters.

Films are in alphabetical order by year of release. Titles beginning with determiners "A", "An", and "The" are alphabetized by the first significant word.

20th century

1900–1969

Year	Title	Character(s)	Actor	Notes	Country	Ref(s)
1932	Freaks	Half Woman-Half Man	Josephine Joseph	Josephine Joseph's only acting performance is the first (mis)representation of an intersex person in cinema.	United States	^[1]
1953	Glen or Glenda	Alan/Anne	'Tommy' Haynes	Ed Wood's docudrama advocates for tolerance and explores gender roles and social issues in the postwar era, offering a provocative discussion on gender politics. Alan is a war veteran and "pseudo-hermaphrodite", who decides to undergo gender-affirming surgery to become a woman, Anne.	United States	^[2]

1970–1979

Year	Title	Character(s)	Actor	Notes	Country	Ref(s)
1970	Tintomara	Tintomara	Pia Grønning	Based on the novel Drottningens juvelsmycke by Jonas Love Almqvist featuring one of Swedish literature's most enduringly popular characters, the eponymous androgyne Tintomara.	Sweden, Denmark	^[3]
1973	The Final Programme	Miss Brunner merged with Jerry Cornelius	Jon Finch	Dystopian sci-fi based on the novel The Final Programme by Michael Moorcock.	UK	^[4]

1980–1989

Year	Title	Character(s)	Actor	Notes	Country	Ref(s)
1985	The Mystery of Alexina	Herculine Barbin	Philippe Vuillemin	Based on the story of Herculine Barbin.	France	^[5]
1985	Enemy Mine	Jeriba Shigan	Louis Gossett Jr.	Based on Enemy Mine by Barry B. Longyear. Will: "Oh, my God! Are you telling me you're pregnant? [...] But how'd..." Jeriba: "With you humans,... birth is a matter of choice. With us Dracs,... it happens. When the time comes,... it just happens."	United States	^[6]
1986	Never Too Young to Die	Velvet von Ragner	Gene Simmons (bassist of Kiss)	In this film, sexual otherness is portrayed as evil: Velvet von Ragner is a sinister hermaphrodite, bisexual drag queen, and cult leader aiming to seize control of Los Angeles.	United States	^[5]

1990–1999

Year	Title	Character(s)	Actor	Notes	Country	Ref(s)

21st century

2000–2009

Year	Title	Character(s)	Actor	Notes	Country	Ref(s)

2010–2019

Year	Title	Character(s)	Actor	Notes	Country	Ref(s)

2020–2025

Year	Title	Character(s)	Actor	Notes	Country	Ref(s)

References

Citations

^ Padva, Gilad (2018). "Joseph/Josephine's angst: sensational hermaphroditism in Tod Browning's freaks". Social Semiotics. 28 (1): 108–124. doi:10.1080/10350330.2017.1278915.
^ Craig, Rob (2009), "Glen or Glenda? (1953)", Ed Wood, Mad Genius: A Critical Study of the Films, pp. 23–68, ISBN 978-0-7864-5423-5
^ "Tintomara (1970)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19.
^ du Plessis, Michael (2011), "Robert Fuest and The Final Programme: Science Fiction and the Question of Style", British Science Fiction Film and Television: Critical Essays, pp. 60–72, ISBN 978-0-7864-4621-6
^ ^a ^b De Clerq, Eva (2022), "Intersex in Fictional Films Throughout History: Towards a Cinema of Inclusion?", Interdisciplinary and Global Perspectives on Intersex, p. p= 17-38, ISBN 978-3-030-91475-2
^ Maslin, Janet (1985-12-20). "Screen: Enemy Mine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-03-17. Retrieved 2024-12-13.

Sources

External links

[1] Padva, Gilad (2018). "Joseph/Josephine's angst: sensational hermaphroditism in Tod Browning's freaks". Social Semiotics. 28 (1): 108–124. doi:10.1080/10350330.2017.1278915.

[2] Craig, Rob (2009), "Glen or Glenda? (1953)", Ed Wood, Mad Genius: A Critical Study of the Films, pp. 23–68, ISBN 978-0-7864-5423-5

[3] "Tintomara (1970)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19.

[4] u Plessis, Michael (2011), "Robert Fuest and The Final Programme: Science Fiction and the Question of Style", British Science Fiction Film and Television: Critical Essays, pp. 60–72, ISBN 978-0-7864-4621-6

[Clerq-5] De Clerq, Eva (2022), "Intersex in Fictional Films Throughout History: Towards a Cinema of Inclusion?", Interdisciplinary and Global Perspectives on Intersex, p. p= 17-38, ISBN 978-3-030-91475-2

[6] Maslin, Janet (1985-12-20). "Screen: Enemy Mine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-03-17. Retrieved 2024-12-13.

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